ISLAMABAD - Both the covert and overt efforts to have a berth in the Federal Cabinet are geared up by the aspirants while leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party, saddled in the driving seat, is keeping the whole affair secret but some of the insiders in the party disclosed to The Nation that the matter of dolling out ministries to the coalition partners including the new entrant in the alliance, Muttahida Qoumi Movement, will be settled by mid next month. These sources further disclosed that besides taking MQM on board in running the governmental affairs at Federal level the other coalition partners - Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam(JUI) Fazl group and Awami National Party - would also get two berths each in the cabinet. It was further informed by these sources that some 18 to 20 federal ministers would be inducted and after these inductions the cabinet expansion process would be complete. The final decision in this connection would be made by President Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with the party leaders and the heads of the coalition partners after completing his US visit by end of this month. But some other officials in the government disclosed that soon after his US visit where he would address the UN General Assembly in the next couple of days President Zardari would embark on his first official visit to China and the cabinet expansion would take place on completion of the Chinese visit. Obviously the major share of the cabinet slots would be going to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party with another 10 full-fledged Federal Ministers for which the lobbying within the party was already touching zenith with all the aspirants putting in their best to get into the Federal Cabinet. A source in the Pakistan Peoples Party disclosed that some of the ministries vacated by the Pakistan Muslim League(Nawaz) would be retained by the PPP while the less important portfolios like Youth Affairs, Education and Culture could be dolled out to the coalition partners. The sources further said that the portfolio of Finance would be retained by the ruling PPP and Syed Naveed Qamar who was having the additional charge of this ministry would continue as the Finance Minister. The sources further disclosed that MQM would likely get four or five berths in the Federal Cabinet and according to some insiders in the party they were insisting to take the same old ministries including Housing and Works, Communication and Ports and Shipping, which they were holding during the previous government. The sources said that the matter of MQM joining the Federal Cabinet was also on the agenda of the meeting of President Asif Ali Zardari with MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain in London. President Zardari besides discussing other important issues with the MQM Quaid had also extended request to Altaf Hussain to join Federal Cabinet and augment their efforts to steer the country out of the prevailing crises. The sources further disclosed that JUI(F) and ANP would likely get another two slots each in the Federal Cabinet and the negotiations with both these coalition partners were in progress to settle the issue of portfolios as JUI(F) and ANP were eying some particular ministries. Some sources in JUI(F) disclosed to The Nation that besides getting another two slots in Federal Cabinet the party was also promised the priced post of Governor Balochistan by the PPP government. The main problem confronting the ruling PPP was from within as the pressure was on the party Co-Chairman and President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Premier Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to accommodate over a dozen aspirants. Prominent among those who would get the ministerial berth are Senator Babar Awan, Farzana Raja, Farahnaz Ispahni, Yousuf Talpur, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Hazar Khan Bejarani and a few youngsters like Sardar Saleem Haider and Dr. Fardoos Ashiq Awan could be taken as state ministers. The sources in the party dispelled the impression of change in the portfolios of the sitting Federal Ministers and they would only lay off the portfolios they were holding as additional charge. The sources further said that certain vested interests were churning rumours about the change in the portfolios, which was not likely as the party leadership was already under tremendous pressure both from the coalition partners and from within to accommodate them with their choices.